The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-12
A CRIMINAL AS THEIR JUDGE.
Craig Tolliver's Red-Handed Rule in
Rowan County, KY.

Rowan county, NY, mas beeh hunted
desperate and murderer for years and years
Warrants have been served against him, in
dictments found against him, posses have
searched for him, and a whole company of
soldiers went after him and proclaimed
martial law in all of Rowan county But
they did not get their man. Cunning, reck-
less, daredevil, he fought them from am
bush, hid away in the mountain Businesses
when the country grew too hot for him. and
when matters quieted down again he came
forth cool and unframed and went at his
old tricks. OF course feud was at the
bottom of it. John Martin killed Bill Tolli-
YER, Craig's brother, and so, of course. the
natural result was that the Tolliver family
and their friends set out to kill the surviving
members of the Martin family and their
friends Craig shot few men, and the
whole county took sides.
Troops We're ordered to Morehead, the
county seat of Rowan county, to quell the
disturbances that had been caused there by
two factions-one under the leadership of
Craig Tolliver, and the other marshaed by
Cook HUMPHREYS, who was looked upon as
being every bit as dangerous as Tolliver,
and possessing even more courage. After a
long trip in the mountains by the State
Guard, peace wasl FINALLY restored by an
armistice on the part of the Commonwealth,
whose attorney agreed to withdraw prose
cution on condition that the two leaders
should leave the State. The principals
readily agreed to this, and it was thought
that the disorders which had brought the
State into such bad repute had come to an
end and the troops were ordered withdrawn
Scarcely had peace been restored when
information was received that Tolliver was
back at his old haunts.
But he came back in a new character
Tired of being hunted like a dog, he con-
ceived the brilliant idea of hunting instead
of being hunted. He thought the matter
over in his own rude way and figured things
out about like this: The only thing he had
ever been forced to fear was that intangible
something men called the law. What was
the law9 he asked. The Judge on the bench
was the only personal exponent of it that he
knew. So his mind was made up. He
would become the law He would make
himself Judge. His friends would vote for
him. Where was the man brave enough to
ride up to the polls and deposit a ballot
against hims
And so Craig Tolliver murderer and des-
perado, a criminal hiding from justice, was
elected Judge of Rowan county.
No further need had he to flee from JUS
tice. He was justice himself now. The
man whose outbreaks had brought shame
and disgrace to the fair soil of that section
had turned the tables, and with a high hand
prepared to turn prosecutor instead of being
genius.
The great opportunity of his life was
right at hand, and he prepared to pay off
old scores, and pay them off in the name of
the law. There are many indictments
against Tolliver for serious crimes; yet so
terrified are the people that they allow
criminal to hold office and exercise the
rights of that office. Since the election of
Tolliver to the office of Police Judge three
good citizens have been compelled to flee
from Morehead. Their lives, their fortunes
their homes sons, daughters and wives were
in danger. In the reports of the elections
Tolliver received 20 votes, thereby electing
him. People who were against him were
afraid to go to the polls, and a man who
cannot sign his name legibly is elected to an
Office which requires knowledge of the law
equity of Judgment and justice in all things
Immediately after taking possession of
his Office he began the persecution of his
enemies Yesterday afternoon he issued
warrants for the arrest of William Logan,
"A years old, and his brother John, 49,,
charged with Kuklux plans Warrants
were placed in the hands of Marshal Man
min to serve. About 8 o'clock Mannin and
Tolliver and a posse went 10 the Logan
house TO serve the warrants on the two
boys. Upon arrival at the Logan home
stead Marshal Mannin asked if the boys
were at home. The housekeeper answered
no, but Mannin knowing to the contrary
forced his way into the house and upstairs
immediately the Logan boys, who We're
secreted upstairs opened fire upon Mannin
Kidding him with slugs from shotguns and
killing him instantly. The two boys then
attempted to make their escape by getting
out by the back way of the house, but the
two men who accompanied Mannin were
stationed in the rear, and as soon as the two
boys made their appearance the posse
opened fire upon them. When the smoke
cleared away it was seen that the Logan
boys lay dead-lrlled at the first shot The
two men who formed the posse returned to
Morehead, gave themselves up and gave the
facts as stated. The Logan boys were
buried this afternoon at the old burying
grounds about five miles north of the town
of Morehead.
Dr. H. s. Logan, the father of the two
dead boys, is confined in the Lexington jail
for safe keeping on charge of conspiJing
to kill Taylor Young and Judge A. c. Cole,
of the Circuit Court of Rowan county. DR..
Logan when seen, said that the object was
to arrest the boys so that they could be
placed in the hands of Craig Tolliver, who
is Police Judge, so that TOlliver could wrea<
his revenge on them. Howard Logan, an
uncle of these boys, was one of the parties
whe was forced to flee from Morehead a few
days ago and seek place of safety. That
whole section of the State is wild oyer the
affair, and the end is not yet
Craig Tolliver is about So years old, and
has been a desperate character for thirty
years. He revels in bloodshed In 1884, at
the August election, the Martin Tolliver
feud was started, and since that time more
| than a dozen men have been killed in en-
counters between these factions At the
| first breaking out of the feud John Martin
killed Bill Tolliver, brother of Craig, in
fight. Martin was placed in the Flemings-
burg Jail, from which he was taken by Bill
Bowling and others on forged writ of
haheas corpus. and shot dead while on the
cars en- route to Morehead The warfare
has been carried on openly or in ambush
ever since that time. Two years ago martial
law was proclaimed in Rowan county, but
as soon as the troops left the old troubles
were renewed. Tolliver pretended that he
intended to reform, and some people We're
foolish enough to believe his professions. 1t
is the general opinion at Morehead that
nothing but the death of Craig Tolliver
will restore peace TO that section.
In Favor of the Ballet.
st. Louis is the pious city where a recent
violent attack was made on the ballet Dur